Israeli authorities have banned nearly 1,000 Palestinians living in Jerusalem from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque. There are growing concerns about increasing visits by Israeli settlers and restrictions on Muslims praying at the mosque. Palestinians also fear that these actions could change the mosque’s Islamic identity and religious status.
Nasser al-Hidmi, head of the Jerusalem Commission Against Judaization, warned that Israel was accelerating efforts to impose new realities at Al-Aqsa Mosque, taking advantage of Jewish holidays to tighten security measures and restrict Palestinian access.
He said Jerusalem had effectively been turned into a “military barracks,” while settlers were increasingly performing Jewish religious rituals inside the Mosque compound, including prayers, dancing and clapping.
Jerusalem affairs researcher Abdullah Marouf also warned that Israeli measures were threatening the Mosque’s religious and social character, citing an incident in which authorities prevented a funeral procession from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque for prayers.
Marouf described the restriction as an unprecedented step, explaining that Israeli policies seek to reduce the Mosque’s role to narrowly defined religious rituals while controlling Muslim worship and access.
Al-Hidmi further warned of plans targeting Bab al-Rahma and the eastern section of Al-Aqsa Mosque, expressing concern that parts of the compound could be designated for Jewish worship as part of attempts to impose a temporal and spatial division.